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        New Message Board Archives >> 2006 General Board Posts >> Every Little Bit Is Appreciated 
        
(Message started by: pfunk on Feb 8^th, 2006, 12:06am)

Title: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by pfunk on Feb 8^th, 2006, 12:06am

Guys-
I'm not going to say that i'm cured or anything because I know that is far fromtrue but I went to my pain doc today, who is also a headache specialist. We talked about me going to see a local neurologist and how important it was to try and interrupt this most recent cluster/cycle of headaches so that I can at least ge through this semester in school. He put me on prednisone and gave me Frova which I have not taken in the past. He seems to think that taking the prednisone in conjuction with the topomax we may be able to interrupt the cycle. He thinks that we should also wait a couple more weeks to let the steroid and topomax take their theraputic effect before going straight to the neurologist, since most are so costly. He is also a medical docotor of chiropractic and he adjusted my neck. It hurt like hell when he first did it but i feel better now than I have since this most recent cluster started back a few weeks ago. My sinuses cleared up and alot of presssure seemed to be relieved from my head after he fixed my neck, which just seemed to support what I had earlier stated about how this might have something to do with neck injury. Needless to say, the last HA I had was about 10:30 AM, which is a big switch from @3-4 times a day for the last month or so. Like I said, I not getting my hopes up, but even just a couple of extra PF hours are a blessing. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Much luv and best wishes to all.

Pfunk 8) ::)

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by sandie99 on Feb 8^th, 2006, 2:25am

My fingers are crossed. I hope that lots of more PF time is on its way to you. :)

Best wishes,
Sanna

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by pfunk on Feb 8^th, 2006, 12:38pm

Guys , as of right now, I have been headache freeand pain free for a litle over 25 hours. I know of course that I should not get overly excited. After all, I did experiemce two HA free days after the nerve block. But this time the excruciating pain that I had been experiencing in my neck is gone as well. I am not going to get my hopes up. I go back to the doc again on Tues when he will begin to taper down the prednisone and evaluate my neck to see if it needs to be adjusted again. I'm kkeping my fingers and everyting else I cna cross crossed. Becuase whatever he did yesterday, it at least worked for a little while and gave me one day of relief.

The most important thing I want to say is THANK YOU!!! Thank you you toe veryone in the CH family, Jonny Gator, Chewy, Sanna, Fram (i have just list these because these are the people that I have spoken with most frequently and the name that I read most often but everyone of you has been overly helpful). I could spend one day thanking each individual for one specific thing that they have helped me with in the last month but I don't think any of us really of have that much time on our hands. Most of all, thank you to all of you for welcoming me with open arms and making me comfortable as a part of your CH Family. Okay, I'm gonna hit the post button because now I'm starting to feel tears for a completely different reason than one of these damned HAs and I know that I don't want to trigger one by clogging my sinuses.ThankYou! Much LUV. And many, many PF and HF days to all :) ;) :D ;;D 8) [smiley=laugh.gif] :-*

Pfunk

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by pfunk on Feb 8^th, 2006, 1:51pm

E-dub really sorry to have left you off that last list. If I remember right, I have seen your name on a reply on just about every post I have read on this sight. It means alot to me and I'm sure it does to everyone else that you are so willing to offer you rhelpful advice and/or experiences. Kudos and thank you! 8)

Pfunk

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by Guiseppi on Feb 8^th, 2006, 2:53pm

Sorry you're hurting. I don't wanna dampen your joy but when I go on prednisone it provides me 100% relief. My guess would be that's where your relief is coming from. They generally won't leave you on it for long because of its side effects. When I use prednisone by itself and then taper off, the H.A's come back at level 10 plus. (I know, I know 10 is as high as they go but damn!) Try and have a secondary defense for when you ratchet off the prednisone. My hope and prayer would be that it has broken your cycle, if it hasn't, they'll come back hard. Good luck and best wishes for more pain free days.

Guiseppi

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by aprilbee on Feb 8^th, 2006, 3:26pm

I'm glad you're PF and have the guts to actually say it out loud...(I'm very superstisious!! ;)) I hope this continues for you! :D

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by Charlie on Feb 8^th, 2006, 8:20pm

PF is good!

Very glad to learn that you're getting a break. Make sure the beast has ample room to exit... or better still, make sure you have both barrels loaded. http://www.discodelic.netfirms.com/sarcastic-erase.gif?SSImageQuality=Full

Stick around.

Charlie

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by Linda_Howell on Feb 8^th, 2006, 8:30pm

Quote:

He put me on prednisone and gave me Frova

Unless I read your posts wrong, These should not be taken at the same time.

Linda

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by Lizzie2 on Feb 8^th, 2006, 8:51pm

on 02/08/06 at 20:30:33, Linda_Howell wrote:

Unless I read your posts wrong, These should not be taken at the same time.

Linda

Why not? Not being ignorant - just never heard you couldn't take prednisone and frova at the same time before, and I'm curious as to the rationale!

Carrie :)

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by Jonny on Feb 8^th, 2006, 8:52pm

Funk Dude.....your new here, just thought id show you a little of one of our gatherings.

http://media.putfile.com/Convention-Blues

Hope you have broadband ;;D

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by blood_Redd_son on Feb 8^th, 2006, 8:57pm

glad you're PF! ;;D ;;D

that means alot to us here!

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by pfunk on Feb 8^th, 2006, 9:54pm

Once again guys thank you for all of the help with everything and, yes, still PF to this point. Just to clear a couple thing that I may not have said right about the prednisone and Frova. Doc just gave me the script for Frova Tues. morning though I have not yet had to use any form of triptan since he adjusted my neck. He also gave me the script for pred at the same time and I did not take my first dose of that until 10:30 PM Tues. night so I really don't know how closely related it is to the PF time I have experienced to this point. Whatever it is, I am not going to question it, but I am going to try and continue doing things exactly the same way I did them yesterday to keep this going. It really was great to get a full day of classes in. I actually got to teach today for the first time since the beginning of the semester and the class was overly enthusiastic to see me back with a smile on my face.

Pfunk :) ;)

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by pfunk on Feb 9^th, 2006, 10:34pm

Just for info's sake- still PF and HA free since 10:30 A.M. Tuesday. But, no, I am not convinced they have stopped because I did have a couple of scares. I woke up at 4:00 A.M. ( about 2 hrs after going to sleep) thinking that iwas going to het a hit but just went back to sleep a few minutes early. Then, I had a 2 hr break between classes this afternoon so I went to the Baterry downtown to catch up on some of the studies that I have missed in the last few weeks while not going to class. I started to feel like I was gonna get hit again and was prepared to go to war all over again but they went away again. SInce then no further signs. Definitely, quite relieved! Like I said though, not convinced, so the arsenal is fully loaded with oxygen and everything else. I never go anywhere empty-handed.LUV to MY neew CF family and PF day to all.

Pfunk ;;D 8)

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by Guiseppi on Feb 9^th, 2006, 11:07pm

Trust me we're holding our collective breaths and saying our prayers that you stay pain free, sounds like your students want you back!!! You must be a special teacher, the best of luck to you.

Guiseppi

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by pfunk on Feb 10^th, 2006, 4:12pm

Check this out guys! Still nothing since Tuesday. And remember that big long list of meds I posted. Thanks to you guys I have been able to eliminate all the most of the crap and slim it down quite a bit.
Here's how it looks now:
Imitrex 100mg tablets (none since Tues)
O2(also none since Tues)
Topomax- 100 mg/day
Melatonin 9-12mg/day
Prednisone 40mg/day(tapering down for 3 weeks)
Have 6 Frova but have yet to use b/c haven't needed
I have thrown away or stopped taking all of the other stuff that I mentioned last time. I don't believe that I've got this thing beat but I am learning how to better control it. Couldn't have done it without you guys.
Also, that damned topomax, as much as I think it has helped, has forced me to completely change my eating and drinking habits. All I can drink now is tea or juice because I can't even taste my damned Pepsi anymore. Thank God I quit drinking alcohol three years ago b/c if I couldn't taste my beer I would have been really pissed.
LYG ;) :D 8)
Pfunk

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by Jonny on Feb 10^th, 2006, 4:30pm

on 02/10/06 at 16:12:13, pfunk wrote:

[smiley=headbanger.gif] [smiley=bigguns.gif] [smiley=headbanger.gif]

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by llreed on Feb 10^th, 2006, 11:37pm

Pfunk,
Great news... pray it continues for you. A pain free day is a wonderful day. Keep us posted on how you do.
PF Wishes,
llreed

[smiley=thumb.gif]

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by pfunk on Feb 12^th, 2006, 1:08am

Once again guys thanks for everthing. And yes, still no major HAs since Tuesday. Haven't taken any sort of abortive meds whatsoever since that day. I do have to say though that these "shadows" are making it pretty damned intresting or "scary" I might say. I really can't say I remember ever experiencing them before now but I may have. Before this, I think I just totally freaked at the first sign of the beast and took anything and everything I could get my hands on to make him go away. For whatever it's worth, these last few days have been really great for me. I have been able to catch up on some of the work that I missed at school over the last 3 and 1/2 weeks and I actually got in 3 full shifts at the family sandwich shop, which I manage, while not in school. It was great to do all of it without the meds or someone saying, "Hey you don't look so good man, are you okay?" The O2 goes with me everywhere though, along with a TREX shot in the bookbag just in case. Better safe than sorry, you know.

I logged onto this cite in 2000 and my father passed away a few months later. I had to run the family business for my mom and pretty much had to (duringcycle) train her because it was her only source of income after he was gone. I was unable to stay connected with you guys during that time and I regret that now. I did have a period of about a year and a half when I got no headaches, so of course I didn't think I needed help. But I realize now that that was selfish of me. The CH Family is as much about helping those who are suffering when I am not as it is for finding help for myself when I need. For this this reason I remain eternally grateful. I feel that I owe it to myself and to anyone that I may be able to touch in the future by sharing my experiences. If I am able to reach one person and change their life for the better, I'm doing my job. Hey, that's similar to go school to become a teacher. Funny how these two things are coming togtehr for me like this.

Anyway. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! Wishing PFDANs to all.

Pfunk ;) :D 8)

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by Dragnlance on Feb 12^th, 2006, 10:00pm

pfunk,

I said it once today, say it again.

I LOVE a success story! Congrats, and hope you STAY Pain Free!!

Dragnlance

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by unsolved1 on Feb 13^th, 2006, 12:31am

It is most likely that the Prednisone is helping you with this cycle. It helps alot of people. And, FYI ... it is fine to take Prednisone & Frova at the same time.

Best Wishes

UNsolved

Title: Re: Every Little Bit Is Appreciated
Post by Jasmyn on Feb 13^th, 2006, 2:04am

Way to go, Pfunk! ;;D